Newly discovered Picasso portrait barely escapes the trash bin

Pablo Picasso was one of the 20th century's most famous and successful artists. Whole museums are dedicated to his work, and he continues to this day to get the star treatment at artistic institutions around the world.

Imagine, then, the shock a pair of siblings had when they recently found a previously undiscovered doodle of the artist's buried beneath a pile of their deceased parents' old books.

That's exactly what happened to Osnat and Amos Kollek, the children of former Jerusalem Mayor Teddy Kollek. The two recently found the doodle, a portrait of their father, while cleaning out their mother's home following her passing.

Pablo Picasso had his work shown at the Israel Museum in 1965, the year that it opened.
(Photo: Courtesy)

The informal portrait, drawn on the back of a catalog from the Israel Museum’s 1965 Picasso exhibit, was inscribed with the date 1969. It's assumed Picasso drew it during one of his many visits to Jerusalem, though it can't be linked to any particular meeting between him and Kollek.

Osnat and Amos didn't even realize at first that the portrait was by Picasso, some of whose paintings have sold for more than $100 million.

Pablo Picasso is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th century. (Photo: Ralph Gatti/AFP/Getty Images)

“We stumbled across this incidentally among the many books about Jerusalem in our parents’ library, and it nearly got thrown into the garbage,” Osnat, Teddy Kollek's daughter, told Israeli reporters.

Fortunately, this small treasure will be on view for all to see as Osnat and Amos donated it to the non-profit Jerusalem Foundation, which will put it on display to the public in the coming year.

Pablo Picasso's artwork continues to be exhibited around the world for people of all ages to enjoy. (Photo: WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images)

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Zach Pontz
is a writer and photographer for From The Grapevine. In his spare time he likes to wander random cities.